This Saturday afternoon in Doha, President Paul Kagame met with the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Rwandan head of state is in Qatar for a working visit.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed the productive and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in key sectors including infrastructure and hospitality. They also exchanged views on current global issues, according to information from the president’s office.
Rwanda and Qatar enjoy commendable bilateral ties established in May 2017 through the two countries’ Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York. Since then, the leaders of the two countries have met regularly, exchanged high-level visits between the two sides have contributed to boosting joint cooperation in various vital fields and enhancing the partnership between the two countries.
Rwanda and Qatar share economic ties in Civil Aviation. Qatar Airways started its direct flights to Rwanda in March 2012, creating a direct linkage between Rwanda and the Middle East.
The Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Rwanda in April 2019 and made another visit in June 2022 to participate in the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali. Meanwhile, President Kagame has paid visits to Doha in February 2022, October 2021, October 2019, December 2019, and November 2018.
Relations between the two countries are regulated by agreements and memoranda of understanding that cover several fields, such as politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, agriculture, culture, sport, investment, aviation cooperation, and avoidance of double taxation.
The two countries also signed an agreement to acquire by Qatar Airways 60 percent of the shares of Bugesera International Airport in Rwanda, and Qatar Airways signed two agreements with the Rwandan tourism air transport company and an agreement with the Rwanda civil aviation authority.
There is also a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for defense cooperation between the two countries. Qatar’s Hassad Food Company, which invests in the food sector, signed an MoU with the Rwandan government aimed at opening opportunities for cooperation between the two sides and studying investment opportunities in the agricultural and food fields.
The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) also signed an MoU with the Rwanda Finance Limited to launch joint initiatives that contribute to promoting the growth and international expansion of the business of QFC and the Kigali International Financial Center, in addition to the partnership between Qatar Airways and Rwanda’s flag carrier, RwandAir, which enables travelers to reach 160 destinations in the combined networks of both airlines.
